Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) yesterday spoke to more than 100 people in a town hall meeting at Stamp Student Union that was designed to inform students of the issues surrounding the presidential election in a nonpartisan manner.
But praise of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama’s policies were still sprinkled throughout the event, leading to some interesting debate between the senator and critics but also conflicting with the intended nature of the session.
Cardin, who has served on the foreign relations committee with Sen. Obama (D-Ill.) and his vice presidential selection Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) during his two years in the U.S. Senate, stressed the importance of instituting a new energy policy to reduce the country’s dependence on foreign oil, cutting down its involvement in foreign wars and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions, all while insisting Obama understands the need for such a policy.
Cardin encouraged students to participate in the presidential campaign, regardless of which candidate they support, discussing in an interview after the town hall meeting his confidence the young demographic will come out to the polls in November.
“Looking at the Democrats I met with here today, there is interest here at the University of Maryland,” Cardin said after the meeting. “We know the young voters can make a huge difference. The campuses across this country can make this election.”
The senator opened his talk by reminding everyone of his last trip to the university – two years ago, when he was campaigning for his senate seat and brought a pre-presidential-candidate Obama along for the ride.
“After [Obama’s] speech, my daughter said, ‘Dad, this guy should be president,'” Cardin said, before citing Obama’s ability to connect with people and give them hope as his main strengths.
When delving into the nation’s economic woes – and in particular the energy crisis – Cardin received a mild ovation from the crowd with his denouncement of offshore drilling.
“We have 3 percent of the world’s oil reserves. We use 25 percent. We can’t just drill our way out of this problem,” Cardin said.
In a more intimate conversation with students, mostly members of the College Democrats, immediately prior to the meeting, Cardin addressed the economy’s impact on the election.
“This election shouldn’t be close. … The economy is in the tanks. Normally, economic issues dominate how people vote. People can’t afford health care, gasoline,” Cardin said. “But it is a close election. Republicans know how to run elections. They’re really good at this.”
College Democrats secretary Angela Gentile, who sat in attendance, believed the senator spoke on issues such as health care and offshore drilling with a sense of authority and experience.
“He’s a really good speaker. It doesn’t seem like he’s only been a senator for two years,” said Gentile, a junior history major.
Cardin, who served as a U.S. Congressman from Maryland’s third district from 1987 to 2006 and is an alumnus of the university’s law school, followed his economic rhetoric by stating that the second most important issue facing the next presidential administration is education.
“We need to make college education a lot less costly than it is today. That’s a matter of priorities. Where will the next president put his resources?” Cardin said, adding that reallocation of funding from Iraq is necessary to improve education.
Following his speech, Cardin fielded questions from more than 10 students and local residents, several of whom showed great concern for the environment.
The senator responded by explaining his role in the Warner-Lieberman bill, the Senate’s failed spring effort to address global warming that Cardin said “would have been the strongest bill dealing with greenhouse gasses” had it been enacted.
Cardin went on to imply Obama’s election would increase the likelihood of the bill’s eventual enactment.
Cardin struck a chord with senior mechanical engineering major Phil Hannam with his speech’s tactful choice of topics.
“I was glad that he put emphasis on energy and environmental issues. I think he connects well with students,” said Hannam, who was among the students who stood up to query Cardin. “I think he was wise today to speak about issues that affect University of Maryland students.”
But one student leader, College Republicans president Chris Banerjee, a junior government and politics and history major, disputed the viability of Cardin’s policies.
“Senator Cardin can talk as long as he’d like about energy independence, but the sad fact is the Democrats on Capitol Hill are not committed to finding real solutions to this crisis,” said Banerjee, who was unable to attend Cardin’s talk but said he is familiar with the senator’s energy views.
Banerjee, who supports presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain, was also concerned the university is not holding similar town hall meetings with local Republican politicians.
“I think it was a little bit one-sided if [the university] only invites Senator Cardin to speak,” Banerjee said, mentioning the College Republicans’ desire to invite Congressman Roscoe Bartlett (R-Md.) to the campus this fall.
The university’s director of federal relations Rae Grad said Cardin’s staff contacted the university to set up the appearance and the university takes a nonpartisan approach to scheduling political events.
“Anybody who approaches us, it’s always the same. If they ask for a room, if it’s a town hall meeting, we’re open to all,” Grad said.
As for Cardin’s overall message, his examination of the issues came across equally clear as his support for Obama.
“If you believe we’re all in this for ourselves, well, that’s McCain,” Cardin said, referring to the economy. “I’m not going to tell you these are easy solutions, but I can tell you we are going to make progress under Barack Obama.”
bpenn@umd.edu
